[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3543-3544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1592]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Drilling of Additional Exploration and Development Natural 
Gas Wells in and Adjacent to the Muddy Ridge and Pavilion Fields and 
the Surrounding Areas, Wind River Indian Reservation, Fremont County, 
WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), in cooperation with the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes and 
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), intends to gather information 
necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
drilling of additional exploration and development natural gas wells in 
and adjacent to the Muddy Ridge and Pavilion fields and the surrounding 
areas, Wind River Indian Reservation, Fremont County, Wyoming. The

[[Page 3544]]

purpose of the proposed action is to meet the Tribes' need to maximize 
their economic benefit from this trust resource. A description of the 
proposed project, location, and environmental consideration to be 
addressed in the EIS are provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and content of the EIS must arrive 
by February 25, 2003.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Ray A. 
Nation, Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Wind River 
Agency, P.O. Box 158, Fort Washakie, Wyoming 82514.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ray A. Nation, (307) 332-3718, or 
Stuart Cerovski, (307) 332-8426.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wind River Natural Gas Development 
Project area is generally located in Townships 3 and 4 North, Range 2 
through 5 East, in Fremont County, Wyoming. The project area contains 
about 92,000 acres.
    The Wind River Project consists of the drilling of up to 325 new 
wells in the project area over the next 20 years. Economic conditions 
and the evaluation of the drilling results would determine the actual 
number of wells that would be drilled. In addition, the project will 
require the construction of 325 associated lease roads (excluding 153 
existing wells), 78 miles of new natural gas pipeline (excluding 62 
existing miles), and 18,175 horsepower of new compression on 
approximately six new sites on private, federal and tribal lands. This 
18,175 horsepower will increase the current 14,540 horsepower natural 
gas compression capacity total to 32,715 horsepower.
    During the drilling and construction phase, the proposed well pads, 
pipelines and roads would result in the short-term disturbance of 
approximately 1,863 acres, or 2.02 percent of the total surface area in 
the project area. Well pads would be reduced in size following the 
completion of drilling operations, and pipeline right-of-ways restored 
upon completion of construction. Long-term disturbance would affect 
approximately 922 acres or 1.00 percent of the total surface area.
    The Wind River Project area currently contains two active natural 
gas fields that are predominantly developed under 40 and 20-acre 
spacing, depending upon formation. An existing road network developed 
to service existing drilling and production activities access the Wind 
River Project area, but it is expected that the drilling of additional 
wells within the project area would require the construction of 
additional roads. Existing pipelines and new pipelines, including new 
gathering lines, looplines and tie-ins to existing interstate 
pipelines, would transport the produced gas within the project area.
    While the Wind River environmental analysis is being conducted, the 
BIA/BLM will allow some drilling of wells within the proposed project 
area. Interior drilling will be monitored by the BIA/BLM to ensure that 
activities do not adversely affect the environment or prejudice the 
completion of the environmental analysis.

Public Comment Availability

    Public meetings on the scope and content of the EIS were held on 
October 22, 2002, in Pavilion, Wyoming, and October 23, 2002, in Fort 
Washakie, Wyoming. Comments from these meetings, plus all others we 
receive, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian 
Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: January 10, 2003.
Aurene M. Martin,
Acting Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 03-1592 Filed 1-23-03; 8:45 am]
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